Karl Malus
One of HYDRA's best bio-geneticists and the co-head of their super soldier production company IGH, Karl Malus is a new-age hippie who sees genetic potential for humanity to evolve further into superhuman beings so as to take better control over Earth. To test the limits of human genetics, Malus developed several types of drugs and serums that would grant the test subject quick healing for whatever natural body flaws they were diagnosed with and a boon of superhuman strength & durability, though they would have detrimental effects of the mind. When Jessica Jones and her family got into a car accident involving one of IGH's shipping trucks, Malus saw the plucky, ordinary, run-of-the-mill family as the perfect candidates to test his genetic editing process on for scientific purposes, and so had the company pay off all the medical bills so that he could grant the only survivors, namely Jessica and her mother Alisa, the super-strength he thought they so desperately lacked in their lives. While Jessica was sent to live with the Walker family to have a new life, Alisa ended up getting corrupted by a sliver of Darkness that had infested the healing procedure, driving her mad with feral rage and a desire to destroy everything out of dissociative blood-lust, forcing Karl to keep her locked up and having to brainwash her into his dutiful brawny wife so as to keep studying her and figure out how best to rework his medical procedures. Malus ultimately chose to leave HYDRA's services years later when it looked like the terrorist organization was about to collapse due to the efforts of the Avengers & SHIELD, making the decision to splinter IGH from them in the process. This was out of belief that they had crossed one too many lines he was unwilling to follow them over. Then, in order to cover up all his tracks and hide all involvement of his experiments from the government, he let loose Alisa, now calling herself Blood Jewel, to kill all involved members and test subjects of the corporation. However, due to the brutal manner of which the murders were committed, Malus still ended up getting found out by Jessica and her step-sister Trish Walker, who both came close to exposing Malus and Alisa to the authorities despite Jessica's conflicting thoughts about her love for her mother. Before Malus could escape during the confusion, Trish confronted him in person, having been corrupted herself by one of Malus' Combat Enhancers that she took out of jealousy and longing to be special like her sister, and now wanting more power than before. Despite his desire to flee into hiding, Malus couldn't help but be tempted by the promise of "helping" a lost desperate soul achieve the pinnacle of their enhanced potential out of curiosity, and agreed to Trish's maddened pleas. However, the resulting experiments seemingly failed due to Jessica getting involved, leaving Trish more wounded than empowered. It was then that Malus finally realized that his experiments, rather than bring joy and prosperity, had brought nothing but suffering on both ends for all parties involved and so must be stopped for good. But instead of allowing himself to turn himself in to the authorities and stand trial for his crimes, Malus chose to detonate himself in a suicide explosion out of fear of what SHIELD might do to him if they got their hands on him and too irresponsible to figure another way out of his predicament. Powers and Abilities Category:Villains Category:Anti-Villains Category:Scientists Category:HYDRA Members Category:IGH